A Subject Guide to Collecting in the Old Masters Online Sale

T his fall’s Old Masters Online sale includes over 60 works of arts from various owners that span through 600 years of history, and represents most of the major schools in Western Europe. With prices ranging from $800 to $20,000, forming an Old Masters collection does not have to be daunting. The variety of icons, still lifes, portraits, copies, genre scenes and landscapes in this auction present aspiring buyers with the perfect opportunity to start a comprehensive and informed collection of Old Masters.

Past Auction

Old Masters Online

18–30 October 2019 | 12:00 PM EDT | New York

A ‘copied’ work is one that is executed based on an original painting, drawing or print – and though they might deviate in certain details, the idea behind the image is not an independent one. Old Master artists recreated pre-existing designs not only for their training, but also for collectors. King Charles I, for example, owned around 60 copies, including paintings of which the originals were in his possession. Owning a copy means one can possess an interesting interpretation of one of these iconic paintings. This sale features a vast range of paintings by accomplished followers and students of some of the greatest Old Master painters, which gives collectors a unique opportunity to own approachable derivations of museum masterpieces.

F rom large frescoes in churches to small icons for private devotion, religion was an important theme for the Old Masters. Aside from the church being one of the wealthiest patrons for these artists, private collectors also coveted large paintings depicting narratives from the Old and New Testament. Overflowing with symbolism, these religious works are worth a second look.

P rior to the start of photography in the early 1800s, paintings and sculptures were one of the few ways to depict individuals. Since portraiture during the Old Masters served as a means of self-promotion, they may not always be the most accurate rendering of sitters. Emblems and symbols are key when decoding portraits, since allegories, such as a lady depicted as Flora, help elevate the beauty of the sitter, while costumes, such an elegant gown, are suggestive of the subject’s wealth. This sale gives clients the opportunity to own a portrait depicting important historical figures who lived fascinating lives.

G enre art portrays events from everyday life, like markets, domestic settings, interiors, parties and street scenes. The figures represented could either be peasants or wealthy individuals. From Italian Baroque to British Sporting Art, depicting ordinary people engaged in common activities was very popular. The lively range of genre scenes in Old Masters Art make it an ideal collecting category for all clients.

S till life paintings depict predominantly inanimate objects, such as flowers, dead animals, plants, vases and glasses. This genre emerged in Western Europe mostly during the 16th century but gained popularity during the 1600s, when Dutch Golden Age and Baroque painters brought the movement to new heights. From decorative flower bouquets to realistic renderings of exotic animals, the range of still lifes offered in this sale provides collectors with an exciting opportunity to own detailed studies of the natural and man-made world.

L eonardo Da Vinci elevated landscape art by perfecting depth and adding atmospheric effects to his compositions through sfumato, a technique he used to soften transitions between colors. In the first phase of landscape painting during the Dutch Golden Age, many artists began focusing on the sky, diagonal paths and softened outlines. Other painters, such as Claude Lorrain and Poussin, depicted mythological and religious scenes as an afterthought in the foreground of wonderfully developed landscapes. In a sign of landscape art’s popularity, subgenres emerged, such as Venetian vedute, maritime art, and architectural fantasies.